Nucleic acid polymerases are enzymes, whose primary function is to polymerize new nucleic acids such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) using an existing DNA or RNA template. Polymerases typically are involved in the processes of replication and transcription.
The primary sequences of nucleic acids are crucial for understanding the function and control of genes and for applying many of the basic techniques of molecular biology. The ability to do rapid and reliable DNA sequencing is, therefore, a very important technology. The DNA sequence is an important tool in genomic analysis as well as other applications, such as genetic identification, forensic analysis, genetic counseling, medical diagnostics, etc. With respect to the area of medical diagnostic sequencing, disorders, susceptibilities to disorders, and prognoses of disease conditions, can be correlated with the presence of particular DNA sequences or the degree of variation (or mutation) in DNA sequences, at one or more genetic loci.
Polymerases are thus useful in genetic engineering, nucleotide sequencing, DNA labeling, site-directed mutagenesis, and the like. Thermostable DNA polymerases have found application in polymerase chain reactions (PCR), and various DNA polymerases suitable for the PCR method have been developed and commercialized.
Polymerase activity can be modulated, in part, by other molecules which bind to the polymerase. Such modulation may comprise enhancing polymerase activity or diminishing such activity, which in turn modulates multiple cellular processes, and other applications. Compounds which bind to polymerases and thereby modulate its activity thus will have a wide array of important applications.